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Envoys of Fortitude
The Envoys of Fortitude are one of the oldest of the Sangheili's Military Orders, and are dedicated to expanding the domain of the Sangheili by exploring and taming wild worlds at the edge of known space. They are explorers and frontiersmen, specialising in survival and charting, as well as making planets safe for their kin. History Founding The Envoys can trace their history back to the first settlers of Qikost and Suban. The first off world settlers, they came to an alien and hostile environment. These settlers relied on the warriors who came with them, who quickly learned to adapt to the environment, learning to first survive in it, then tame it. These brave men and women are often documented as the founding heroes of many settlements of the two moons. They and their families remained on these worlds, the skills passed down through the generations, and when the first Sangheili settlers left their home system to colonies alien star system, these specialists left with them, and formed the first Envoys. At some point during the first wave of Sangheili expansion, the Envoys were sworn in as a Military Order, under the name of the Envoys of Fortitude. The Envoys would work as explorers, seeking out new worlds, charting them, then they would work as the first settlers, establishing the basis of the first colonies in time for the arrival of the settlers. Once the first settlements were established, they began working as planet tamers, keeping dangerous flora and fauna in check, and ensuring the colonists were safe and well educated on the perils of their new world. The Envoys would remain at the forefront of Sangheili expansion up until the signing of the Writ of Union. Much of their role was superseded by the Covenant bureaucracy. Despite this, they maintained Lodges, to head out to aide settlers, and follow up on the lacklustre exploration efforts of the Covenant. Recent History Following the fall of the Covenant, the Envoys have returned to their roots, exploring new worlds, charting planets, and eventually taming them. They would also act as the eyes and ears of the Republic, reporting back on their finds and observations of the enemy. Role The Envoys have three distinct roles. The first is that of explorers. They take small exploratory vessel to chart slip space routes, discover new solar systems, and then explore the planets within those systems. Often alone, but occasionally in small teams, they map new worlds, expanding known space, and reporting back on their findings. They also take an interest in unusual phenomenon and scientific discoveries. Their second role is that of frontiersmen. When new habitable worlds are discovered, they establish the first settlements, and begin to explore the world, using their finely honed survival skills to map the world, and then learn to survive its flora, fauna and weather. They often establish outposts and small encampments, to make way for settlers. This is usually one of the most dangerous phases, as they are often unsupported during this time. Their last role is that of planet tamers. Some planets have life that is just too predatory, too dangerous. The military is often ill equipped to deal with such threats, and settlers aren't prepared for it. In response, the Envoys will often send their most elite teams, specialist survival experts and beast hunters, who bring dangerous animal populations down through traditional hunting, culls and trapping. Recruitment The Envoys openly recruit at their numerous lodges, though most recruits are family members, who can trace their lineage back generations, each serving in the Envoys. Those that enlist in the envoys face extreme hardships as they learn the skills and craft that will see them survive on alien worlds. They learn survival skills that allow them to thrive in a number of harsh environments, from sweltering jungles, to Arctic tundra, and vast deserts. They learn how to establish shelters, how to map their way without the sun or stars, and how to live off the land. Most recruits fail to pass this stage of the training. Those that persevere are tested by being thrown into these environments without equipment or support, and are expected to return home. Those that pass this phase are taught ship-craft, learning to navigate and explore in deep space. They learn to perform surveys, how to discover new systems, and how to create star charts. Lastly, they learn how to establish colonies, and how to deal with pests, small and large. This is the last phase of their training, before they are ready to head out into the world. Those that exceed in these roles, and rise in skill and notoriety are elevated to the ranks of the Hunter Cadres. Elite units, they are experts at hunting dangerous and exotic beasts, for the purpose of bringing population numbers down, to make colonies safe. These elite units are expert hunters, and skilled survivors. Equipment The hunters of the Envoys usually reject standardised gear, and instead utilise gear tailored to their own speciality. Most use customised hunter harnesses, but more and more they are switching to the standardised Invader Harnesses, a potent tool at hunting. Most utilise long rifles, such as the Carbine, Needler or Particle Beam Rifle, but others utilise Storm Rifles and Repeaters, which can be deadly up close. Others utilise burst weapons, such as the Needle Carbine, for taking down targets without a care for accuracy. Most carry a survival dagger or curve blade of some description. They also utilise gear not found anywhere else. These include remote sound sensors, thermal sensors and motion detectors, which they can establish and leave to monitor an area. They also use booby traps, designed to kill or ensnare a creature, from the small to the large, such as nets, traps, bear traps and harpoon launchers. They also have a number of items for helping them survive harsh worlds, ranging from the exotic and sophisticated, to the crude and ancient. They have a number of vessels, for exploration and transportation. Most use Asura-class shuttles, which are ideal for quick jaunts and mid-ranged exploration. For longer distance missions, they utilise civilian model corvettes. These are refitted with a variety of new sensors for mapping star systems, facilities for launching probes and satellites, and cargo bays filled with all the parts needed to establish a prefabricated outpost, and maybe even a Revenant or a Ghost for rapid transit. Lastly, some of the more experienced hunters utilise tamed beasts to aide them. Regarded as a symbol of experience and knowledge, they often pick predatory creatures, usually raising them from a young age. These creatures are trained to aide them, helping them explore, alerting them to danger, and assisting them in hunts, rooting out prey, and bringing it down. Some even train might Drinol as war beasts, to help them take down the most dangerous prey.